Broncos get warning over Russell Wilson situation: Sean Payton 'messed with the wrong guy'

The move didn’t sit right with the NFLPA, which sent a letter to the Broncos in November informing them that the threat made to Wilson violated the collective bargaining agreement and they could face legal action because of it.

Although head coach Sean Payton maintained that Wilson’s benching was for performance-related reasons and nothing to do with his contract, that’s not the perception around the league. 

Now, Payton and the Broncos front office will likely spend the beginning part of the offseason doing damage control, trying to repair the hit their reputations took after Wilson shared his side of the story.

“Fifteen years ago, the quarterback would sit quiet and try to get on another team,” an anonymous exec told The Athletic. “When you mistreat a guy like Wilson, that ain’t going to happen. I think Sean messed with the wrong guy because (Wilson) told the story.”

While nothing has been officially announced, it’s expected that the Broncos will release Wilson in March before his injury guarantee kicks in. If he’s released with a post-June 1 designation, Wilson will carry $35.4M in dead cap, per Over the Cap.

Denver is projected to be $18.1M over the salary cap in 2024. Wilson’s release would be added to the $9.69M in dead cap the team already has after cutting Randy Gregory, Brandon McManus, Frank Clark and Montrell Washington, bringing its grand total to $45.1M.